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Utah Hiking: Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon Oct

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Utah Hiking: Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon Oct Naturalist Journeys, LLC www.naturalistjourneys.com Trip Report - Utah Hiking: Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon Oct. 1-9, 2011 Peg Abbott, Pat Owens and 8 participants, including one from Spain who we were pleased to welcome. Sat., Oct. 1 Arrival in Salt Lake City / Bryce Canyon Several of the group arrived in Salt Lake City a day early and Carol, Pat and Arturo made a memorable trip to Antelope Island to see Bison, Pronghorn, American Avocets and other species along the causeway and out onto the island. Peg arrived early today and went off to shop for our lunches; others gathered late morning at a nearby hotel where Ed and Beth had breakfast. With a few cell phone calls to connect, we were soon on our way south. Utah’s canyon country is not readily accessible from any major airport, but every route into the region is scenic. For the first two hours or so, we stared off to 11,000- 12,000 ft. peaks of the Wasatch Range until passing the southern terminus at Mt. Nebo, where we stopped for a break. We tried to sample local lunch foods what looked like a fruit stand, but the place was packed with pumpkin- hunting children and their families who were enjoying hay wagon rides and festivities, so with making time in mind, we moved on to dine at a non-descript truck stop, the type found off nearly every truck ramp in America. There were Common Grackles and Black-billed Magpies in the parking lot, and Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers flying over the sage-steppe and fields. Some Dairy Queen ice cream made up for the less than local fare. South of Interstate 70 we passed from the Southern Rockies into country defined by the Marysville Volcanic Field, a colorful route through sculptured hills of pumice, ash and hardened sedimentary layers. A particularly hard cliff area had been used for centuries by the Fremont Indians for their drawings. We walked a state park created to preserve this. It was a dramatic light day, and though blustery, it felt great to walk and we took an hour to wind about the trails. Rabbitbrush was ablaze with brilliant yellow color and against it the Utah Asters shone a deep purple-blue. We saw some rock art panels up close and others at a distance with our binoculars. There were animals, human figures, symbols, centipede-like creatures and more. Views form the final ridge were spectacular, with deep reds and mustard yellow colors peeking through pines and sage. A driving rain came on suddenly and with luck we were in fair range of the vans and the event served to scurry us on our way. We followed the Sevier River south, passing by the rich yellow and chocolate chevrons of rock at Big Rock Candy Mountain. Another trail along the river looked inviting, as colors of the willows and cottonwood were displaying a lovely hue, but it was time to reach our destination. Peg had a back road in mind with a bit of trepidation; as it was dirt and rain in this country can cause havoc on that substrate. However, there was enough gravel we did just fine, and we enjoyed the expansive landscapes. We passed several Utah Prairie Dog areas but they were underground in the inclement weather, and no Coyotes were on patrol as they are on many days. We passed through the entry gate to Bryce just at dusk. After settling in to our wonderful cabins, we conversed over dinner like old friends at a big table in Bryce Canyon Lodge’s lovely log and rock dining room. Sun., Oct. 2 Sunrise at Bryce / Great “Intro” Hikes at Bryce Several of the group walked out to the rim, quite near our cabins, to take in the beauty of sunrise. It was a first visit for many, and Linda came back to say, “You didn’t tell us it was this beautiful!” After breakfast, we bathed ourselves in this beauty for the full day. Donning boots and daypacks, carrying plenty of water and an abundant lunch, we headed down into the maze of spires that comprise Bryce. Peg explained the geology of this giant amphitheater, perched on the edge of one of the sub-plateaus of the larger Colorado Plateau(s) region. Bryce sits on the Paunsaugunt and is drained by a tributary of the Paria River, at this time of year running dry. Our walk was impressive from the start, winding down to three massive Douglas Fir trees that grow in a crack not much wider than one car would fit through. Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels and Least Chipmunks darted about. We got great looks at Townsend’s Solitaires that sang from perches on both rock and trees. The conifers are fascinating here and quite varied: Utah and Common junipers, Ponderosa, Limber, and Bristlecone pines, Douglas Fir and a real beauty, Grand Fir. Down among the spires, one’s perspective changes back and forth from positive to negative spaces, inverting one’s view so that rocks frame shapes in the sky. The sky was deep, deep blue and we commented on this being the perfect place for the once standard, Kodachrome film, so deep were the reds and blues. Peg had billed the shorter loop (Wall Street to Queen’s Garden) as a good “Intro” hike, but then urged all on to the longer and more strenuous Peek-a-boo trail. Up and down we went, winding amid spectacular spires to take in longer views of the full landscape, one that presents an indescribable array of texture and color, all on a massive scale. Fred went out ahead and hiked another two miles to Bryce Point and back rejoining the group near the horse corrals. We had lunch on a high point, where we crept into the shade for a break from the intensity of the sun. Had we known what our future weather would be this week we’d likely have basked liked lizards. All in all, we returned from this 7.5 mile adventure with sore feet and smiles, and after a break, headed off to dinner at the Lodge. Mon., Oct. 3 A day in Fairyland / The Storm Moves In… We woke to the promise of another good day, but knew from watching the news that a major, unseasonable storm was on the way, and would likely hit by afternoon. We did a car shuttle to start the day, descending into the canyon at the Fairyland Trail, where Peg did a brief review of the park‘s geology. This is one of the great hikes of the west, challenging (Carol tallied 2300 feet of overall gain and loss throughout the day) but sublime. The scenery changes with every turn, and hues of the landscape change with the light. We wound our way in and out of vistas, up and down several ridges that fanned out from Boat Mesa, the centerpiece of our walk. We chose a lunch spot with a view of the full valley near Tropic, Utah. Steller’s Jays came inquisitively to our lunch spot, and Ed and Arturo spotted a Clark’s Nutcracker harvesting seeds in a bowl of conifers at the brink of the rim. After lunch we set off a bit renewed, happy with a fairly level expanse of trail, one we could walk with ease, frame our photos and stretch our legs. But then came another DOWN, which meant another UP, oh please, oh please, just one! At the bottom of the DOWN we took a side spur to see a natural bridge, one perched quite high above us with several smaller ones on the rim nearby. Our stronger hikers took off and had some time to lounge, the rest of us feigned interest in any living thing that would allow us to stop and breathe on the ascent. In time we all reached the top. We wanted to leave time to drive out to Rainbow Point, stopping at vista points along the way. Everyone was beautiful, different, in tone and inspiration. At one, a tolerant Common Raven posed for views, lovely as red rock was the background. We particularly liked looking down through a massive natural bridge. Two beautiful Mule Deer bucks grazed on the road margin and their nonchalant attitude afforded us some fine photos. The promised storm was moving in by the time we got out here, so we made our stops brief, zipping our coats and donning our hats and gloves. Rainbow Point sits at over 9000 ft. and by the time we pulled into the parking lot the rain was coming down in earnest, promising to change to snow at any moment. A few brave ones hopped out for the view, but our hopes of birding here (usually a good spot on this mixed-conifer trail) were dashed. It was time to call it a day! Some opted for pizza and beer right on our arrival back, and others selected to take showers and then return to the lodge later for a relaxing dine. Carol, Arturo, Linda, Fred and Pat had great laughs when they saw the size of the pizzas. We had ordered enough for twice our party so we offered free pizza to the next couple through the door. Smiles all around. Tues., Oct. 4 On To Zion / Fall Turns to Winter at Cedar Breaks NM We felt a little sad to leave Bryce with its golden red world of spires. Clouds were heavy bellied and gathering at the rim as we left, but some breaks with blue sky kept us hopeful we’d have time to explore the maze of even redder spires at Cedar Breaks National Monument if we headed that way.
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